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Science, History
and a Bit of Magic at UIS
By Stephanie Orr
If you happened to
be on campus over the weekend, you might have noticed a lot
going on. Maybe you saw a trolley pulling out of parking lot B,
imploding soda cans in the Health Sciences Building or a young
woman floating in the PAC. These unusual sights on campus were
all part of Family Weekend.
 Family
Weekend gave students at UIS the chance to bring their family to
the college in order for them to see what life is like on
campus. Participants were invited to attend a number of
programs. The weekend went “very, very well” according to
Cynthia Thompson, director of student life.
Participants who stopped by the
orientation table in the PAC were offered coupon packages from
White Oaks Mall and Best Buy, as well as the opportunity to
attend the Davy Jones concert at Sangamon Auditorium for
free.
The weekend included a luncheon
and a collegiate dinner on Saturday as well as a brunch on
Sunday. Each meal drew a crowd of more than 100 people.
 Those
who attended the collegiate dinner had a true UIS experience.
Each person at the dinner was given an I-card with cash value to
use in order to make the experience more authentic. The Food
Emporium served the most popular meals among students at the
dinner as well. Menu items included teriyaki chicken breasts
over rice and penne pasta with marinara or meat sauce. “When you
have anything pasta the kids love it,” said server Sandy Gordon.
 Dr.
Gary Trammell, professor of organic chemistry, and Dr. Harsh
Bapat, assistant professor of analytical chemistry, gave a
demonstration they called Chemistry in Action. “Science is
really an action thing, you can’t learn science by just reading
about it,” Trammell said before showing the crowd the effects of
nitric acid on a penny.
In the audience at Chemistry in
Action was Kelly King, a freshman majoring in business. King
said that family weekend was a good way to share college life
with her parents, and that it was a good way “to tell your
parents about your new experiences.”
Another event, offered for the
first time this year, was a trolley tour of historic sites in
Springfield. Al, the tour guide, promised to show those on board
all the “wonderful stuff in Springfield.” Stops on the tour
included the Dana-Thomas House, Oak Ridge cemetery and many
others. The tour highlighted the interesting and uncommon
stories about Springfield, and was very popular with the weekend
participants.
 Cindy
Williamson, the mother of Jeremy, a sophomore majoring in
computer science, was on one of the tours. This is her second
year attending Family Weekend. She said she really enjoyed
coming to campus last year, and was excited to come back to see
the new building. She felt that Family Weekend was better this
year because there were more programs being offered. After
seeing the campus she said, “I want to go to UIS.”
A local company was brought to
campus by Student Life to give the two tours Saturday. Thompson
reported that both were over filled and some people had to be
turned away. To find more information on taking the tour
yourself call Springfield Trolley Tours at (217) 528-4100.
Saturday’s final event was a
comical magic show with heavy audience participation in the PAC.
Jerry Frasier, a full-time magician from Minnesota, had the
audience rolling with laughter from the beginning to the end.
Frasier made balloon animals, performed card tricks and even
floated a member of the audience.
When it was time for the finale
he attempted (successfully) to escape from a straight jacket
while playing “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, winning him
praise from the audience. “The show was pretty funny,” said
Rachel Dasenbrock, a freshman accounting major. Heidi Fisher, a
freshman majoring in psychology, said she liked the humor and
the audience participation.
UIS premiering new
organizations campus wide
By Chris Sabo
When watching the Real
World/Road Rules Challenge has become unbearable, stroll
over to the campus activities center and inquire about joining a
club. There is sure to be one to fit your schedule and
personality.
Interested in pre med or
possibly attending medical school? The Medical Discoveries club
(MD) is for you. According to organizer Amber Waterman, MD
“helps people who are prospective medical school students by
introducing them to the requirements and the procedures involved
in applying.”
Amber welcomes the addition of
new members and mentions the many incentives involved with being
a member.
“We are scheduled to meet once
a month with one or two activities per month. For example,
October 9th is the medical school fair where all the
medical schools in the state will be represented. This gives
all of our members the opportunity to become familiar with the
schools and decide if this is the career path they want to
pursue.”
Amber also noted SIU physicians
and medical students are scheduled to speak to the club during
several engagements this fall.
The MD club recommends studying
Clinical Laboratory Science for students interested in medical
school. The University is currently looking for advisors for
these students, but in the meantime each student is responsible
for finding his or her own advisor.
If being outdoors and getting
some great exercise is more of your bag, the members of the
Frisbee Enthusiasts club are waiting to meet you.
Ultimate Frisbee is played every
Thursday at 5:45 and Sundays at 3. President and Frisbee
enthusiast Colin Cook is excited about the success of the club.
“We have about 20 members
currently signed up but are constantly looking for more. I
invite all students, faculty and staff to come out and join us.
All ages and levels are welcome.”
The game of Ultimate Frisbee is
a strange cross between the traditional game of Frisbee, soccer
and football. Two teams square off on a rectangular field with
each end resembling an end zone of a football field.
Participants must throw the Frisbee to a teammate while standing
still. The teammate is allowed to catch the Frisbee on the run
but must stop as soon as he or she catches it. A goal is scored
when the Frisbee is caught inside the end-zone area.
If you’re interested in a more
traditional organization involving debate and politics, the UIS
Forensics club is a possibility.
The team competes in speech and
debate events throughout the state of Illinois as well as
national tournaments. Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 are
eligible.
According to the Forensics
website, UIS Forensics “is a challenging and fun co-curricular
activity.” Each student may choose from 12 events listed in
three categories, oral interpretation of literature, public
speaking and parliamentary debate.
If you are looking to meet some
new people on campus or simply get involved with campus life,
student organizations are your best bet. So put down the remote
and leave your cell phone at home. Get active!
For
information on the Medical Discoveries club, contact Amber
Waterman at Awate02S@uis.edu
Colin Cook
can be contacted at
Ccook04s@uis.edu
The UIS
Forensics club can be contacted through their website or by
contacting Sue Weber at 206-6087 |
